Queen of Denial
by Starfire201
Summary: In the wake of her daughter's departure for the outside world, Queen Hippolyta reflects on her past actions, and wonders if she made the right decisions. Contains spoilers.


**A/N:** Decided I wanted to try my hand at another piece here for the movie. This time, from Queen Hippolyta's POV, and what her reasons may have been for saying nothing to Diana.

All italicized dialogue comes from the movie.

* * *

 _ **Menalippe:**_ _You should have told her._

 _ **Queen Hippolyta:**_ _The more she knows, the sooner he will find her. -_ Quote from _Wonder Woman_

* * *

 _Had she been wrong?_ Queen Hippolyta wondered, as she sat on her horse, gazing out towards the sea.

The sea upon which her daughter had sailed off, towards the world of men, to fulfill a destiny she knew nothing of...

A destiny that Hippolyta had prayed would never come to pass.

She smiled sadly.

When Zeus had asked her to be the vessel for the weapon by which Ares would be defeated one day, she had felt it an honor to be selected for such a task. At that time, she had seen only her duty to protect the means by which the gods would be avenged on their betrayer, nothing more nor less. On the day Zeus fell, she'd sworn an oath that the "weapon" would be well-honed and fit for the task that lay ahead of them.

Her sisters had supported such an oath, feeling the same grief and anger she had that their creators had been destroyed by one of their own brethren. For them, there was nothing else more important.

Hippolyta's views changed the moment Diana was laid in her arms for the first time.

At that moment, she saw a child. Not a sword, not a shield, but a child. _Her_ child.

As her child opened her eyes to gaze on her, Hippolyta finally began to understand the full weight of her oath...

And she'd known then she couldn't lose her child. She refused to.

So she'd sworn all her brethren to silence, saying that her daughter was to grow up as a normal child.

There had been protests, most of all from her chief warrior Antiope, but in the end they'd promised to say nothing.

Hippolyta had believed this to be the end of the matter.

She hadn't counted on Diana herself taking matters into her own hands, albeit unknowingly. Perhaps to be expected of a child of Zeus, to be so headstrong and independent, Hippolyta mused. Many of his children had possessed such traits before, but Diana had possessed them in abundance. She seemed to have an innate gift for wanting to learn everything there was to know about their history and what they knew of the world of men. Her desire to join the ranks of warriors also grew as she grew older, and she would constantly slip away from her tutors to go watch the warriors at practice, oftentimes copying some of their moves as she watched.

Antiope and Philippus had not seemed to mind. Both had seen Diana's potential and constantly urged Hippolyta to allow the child to train.

Hippolyta constantly refused, wanting her daughter to remain a child. She wouldn't allow Diana to become nothing more than a means to an end, wouldn't allow her to risk her life for something that may never come true. Would never allow her to be found by Ares, who would surely kill her the moment he laid eyes on her.

Then Antiope took matters into her own hands and began secretly training Diana. Hippolyta had been furious when she'd found out but in the end had conceded to Antiope's arguments that her daughter should have martial training, though she added a stipulation: _"You will train her harder than any Amazon before her. Five times harder. Ten times harder, until she is better than even you. But she must never know the truth about what she is. Not ever."_ Antiope might not have liked the notion of Hippolyta still keeping the truth from Diana, but she agreed, and went straight to work training Diana in every skill she knew.

Diana excelled, just as Hippolyta both expected and feared. But she held her silence, trying to believe that the shield that protected Themyscira outside of time and from the world at large would hold and her daughter would never have to face the prospect of Ares' return.

And in truth, Hippolyta didn't believe that Ares would ever return to the world. She was well aware how long had passed in the outside world in spite of their being hidden from it, and there had never even been a hint of him. Certainly wars had come and gone, but neitherHippolyta nor the other Amazons had sensed the return of the god.

A bitter smile crossed her face. Perhaps she should have considered that the wars of the outside world would strengthen him over time and that he was merely biding his time until he was strong enough to come to Themyscira to finish what he had begun.

The man's, Captain Steven Trevor's, arrival followed by those other men with strange new weapons had been a shock to her and the other Amazons. So many had been killed and wounded. Too many, including Antiope...

Hippolyta sighed. Perhaps she should have just ignored Philippus' words regarding the man's life. Yes, they had needed the information, but they had paid a high cost as it was, and with Diana's departure, it threatened to become higher...

His words describing a war that engulfed the world and threatening to consume all life had been nearly word for word what the prophecy described. She and the others had been shocked, but it had been Diana who'd insisted they help. But Hippolyta would not give that order. Too many had already died and even knowing that Ares was likely behind this, she was still unwilling to risk her daughter to what might in the end be a fruitless battle. And with man's weapons being what they were now, Hippolyta was no longer sure her people would be of much assistance to the outside world any longer.

She should have known better when it came to Diana. Zeus's daughter to her very core, she decided it would be best to help mankind, her father's own creations. The moment HIppolyta was informed the sword was missing and the man gone from the healing chambers, she'd known exactly who was behind both events. Taking Menalippe and a few others, she went down to the dock and confronted her daughter, giving her one last chance to turn back:

 _"I'm going mother."_

 _"You know that if you choose to leave, you may never return."_

 _"Who will I be if I stay?"_

It had been those words that had finally made her consider if she'd been wrong all this time. Had she truly been protecting her child? Or had her choosing to hide the truth been merely protecting herself?

True, she had told Menalippe that the more Diana knew the easier it would be for Ares to find her, but in truth, Hippolyta knew that it was more than likely he had sensed her a long time ago, and had chosen for the time being to stay his hand. Likely to come pay Themyscira another visit once his work in man's world was done and deal with the Amazons permanently.

But she didn't allow herself to let her thoughts show in her face as she handed Diana Antiope's tiara, knowing her fiercest sister would have wished Diana to have it.

Then she bade her daughter farewell.

 _"Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you. You have been my greatest love. Today, you are my greatest sorrow."_

Hippolyta wondered now what Diana had made of her words, if she would ever understand how much it had hurt the Themysciran Queen to speak them.

In truth, however, Hippolyta felt it was unlikely she would ever know. Diana had left Themyscira, and whatever the end result of her fight with Ares turned out to be, she was unlikely to ever return.

And if she did by some chance win her battle with Ares and return one day, Hippolyta could never allow her to remain. As much as she loved her child, Diana would be tainted by the world of men, and the Queen of the Amazons couldn't allow this. If she couldn't protect her child, then she would protect her sisters.

It was all that was left to her now.

Her mouth hardened into a thin line at this thought.

It was all that was left, and she needed to prepare.

It no longer mattered whether or not she'd been wrong, for if Diana failed, then Ares would come looking for them.

And they would need to be ready for that eventuality.

Turning her face away from the water, she headed back to the castle.

The time for sentiment was done.

Ares was coming and they needed to be ready.

It was time for Themyscira to return to battle.

 _And may the gods be with us all._


End file.
